Underwater Mysteries
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Urumasa's gone but not forgotten. Some of the Rangers have a hard time letting go. Follows Way of the Samurai.
1. Bad Feelings

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything_

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><p>Jayden tossed and turned in his bed. He had been ripped from his sleep by a nightmare and the lingering images were keeping him from falling back asleep. He tried to find a comfortable position, hoping his mind would just drift off into a slumber, and when that didn't work he tried to count sheep. His thoughts continued to stray back to his nightmare, though, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.<p>

_Urumasa was in his hands and a voice was screaming in his ears for him to deliver the final blow. He was craving the blood of a challenging opponent, just like Urumasa's former warrior. One swing, one slice, one hit, was all he needed to satisfy his craving and move on as the world's strongest and most powerful Samurai in existence._

_But he couldn't do it. His eyes looked down at his fallen teammates, all struggling to get back to their feet. Even without him in charge they were a force to be reckoned with, and Urumasa had deemed them worthy opponents, but what little humanity that was left in Jayden stopped him from listening to the words of the sword. The Rangers were his friends, his family. He couldn't hurt them._

Jayden felt a shiver travel down his spine and his sat up in bed. He dragged his hands down his face and let out a deep sigh as he glanced across the room at Antonio. The gold Ranger had fallen asleep with the Black Box wrapped tightly in one hand and Mike's power disk in the other. The bear was now finally cooperating with the gold Ranger, but getting Mike's symbol programmed was proving to be a difficult task. There was very little room left in the black box with everyone else's symbols inside, and Antonio was working extremely hard to fit all the energy and power into the small box. He had fallen asleep on the job, again, though he needed as much rest as he could get. Jayden pulled the box and the disk from his best friend's hands and set them down on the night table before leaving the room quietly.

He made his way to the kitchen, hoping to fix himself a cup of tea thinking maybe it would put him to sleep. Even just a few hours would do him a world of good. He hated being awake all night. But he saw the kitchen light was already on and smiled for a moment. At least if he did have to stay awake he wouldn't be alone all night.

He saw Emily and Mike were sitting at the table. Mike was gently stroking Emily's hand with his own and whispering softly to her. He glanced up at Jayden for a quick moment and offered the red Ranger a smile before looking back at Emily.

Jayden hated to see his friends upset, but right now he was a little relieved someone else seemed to be having trouble. He could focus on whatever was keeping Emily awake and maybe it would take his mind off his nightmare. He put water in the kettle and turned it on before taking a seat.

"Why are you both up?" he asked them. Emily wiped away the few tears in her eyes and shrugged.

"It's nothing. It's stupid…"

"It's not stupid," Mike squeezed her hand. He turned to Jayden, "She went back to the beach today."

"Mia told me that's where she found you," Jayden nodded. "What took you there?"

"Urumasa," Emily muttered. Jayden's heart sunk. He had been thinking about Urumasa a lot lately as well. He had seen Serena toss it into the ocean, but he had a feeling the sword wasn't gone for good. If Emily felt the same way, maybe there was a reason to be concerned, and it wasn't just paranoia.

"It's gone," Mike assured Emily. "You saw Serena throwing it away. No one's ever going to find it again."

"But it's… what if…"

"Stop worrying," Mike now held both of Emily's hands and he was trying to look her in the eyes, but she kept her gaze fixed on the table. He reached across the table and gently, with his finger, lifted her chin, "The sword's not coming back. It won't find Dekker and turn him evil again, it won't come for Jayden, and it won't try to get revenge on your sister. I promise that."

"What do you know?" Emily mumbled. She pulled her hands away from Mike and crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned back in her seat. "You can't make that promise."

"Urumasa's been on my mind as well," Jayden nodded his head. "It's the reason I'm awake."

"You guys are seriously paranoid," Mike shook his head as Jayden got up to pour the boiling water into some mugs and make the tea. "It's a sword. It can slice through boulders like they were butter, yes, but I doubt it knows how to swim back to the surface and walk to a new master. It's too heavy to float and it doesn't have legs. By the time it washes up on shore, if it ever does, it'll be old, rusted, and we'll all have died of old age. Stop worrying."

"I can't," Emily whimpered as Jayden brought the three cups of tea to the table. He set two of them down for Mike and Emily and kept one for himself as he grabbed his seat.

Just as Jayden got comfortable he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. Now someone else was awake. He turned to the doorway as Kevin walked in, dragging his feet across the floor. The blue Ranger was surprised to see most of the house was already awake, but he didn't let it show. He saw some tea had been made and went to pour some for himself.

"What are you guys doing up?" he asked his teammates.

"Urumasa," Jayden answered. "Emily and I have a bad feeling."

"Which is understandable," Mike nodded his head, "but there's nothing to worry about. I can assure you both, Urumasa and Dekker have been taken care of. All we need to worry about is Master X."

"Why are you up?" Emily asked the swimmer. Maybe Kevin could take her mind off her problems. Kevin shrugged his shoulders as he picked up his mug and took a seat at the table.

"I've just got a bad feeling," he said. "Remember Tori and Dustin."

"Yeah. Why? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Kevin nodded his head, "I just… I remember what Tori told me when she trained me. How we're all connected to our elements. I've got a bad feeling and I think it's got something to do with the water."

Emily turned to Mike, "See! Even Kevin feels it!"

"He never said it was Urumasa," Mike told his girlfriend before turning to Kevin, "Maybe someone left the tap on in the bathroom or there's a leak or something somewhere."

"Nope," Kevin shook his head. "It's nothing like that… maybe it is Urumasa. Serena did throw it into the ocean. What if it's trying to find its way back?"

"It's… ugh," Mike lowered his head and massaged his temples. He could understand why his friends were worried, but worrying wasn't doing anyone any good. Urumasa was gone. Though it would take a while for their nerves to calm and their fears to subside, they all needed to take a deep breath and remember that it was just a sword and it was now sitting at the bottom of the ocean. He glanced across the table at Emily, "Didn't you talk to Mia about this? I thought she helped you."

"She did. But I had a nightmare and now my worrying's back," Emily huffed. She gestured to Jayden, "He's worried about it too and Kevin's got a funny feeling. This can't just be coincidence."

"Urumasa's not coming back."

"And if it does, it doesn't stand a chance against us," Mia's voice chimed softly as the pink Ranger entered the room and took a seat on Kevin's lap. When he got out of bed he had woken her up, and when he didn't come back right away she got up to look for him. "It's just a sword. It's only as skilled as the man who wields it. Dekker's trying to change, so he'll never take Urumasa back…"

"He's trying to find himself," Emily reminded Mia. "What if he finds out he really is a bloodthirsty murderer and he comes back for the sword? What if someone else, twice as good as Dekker…"

"Stop worrying," Mike sighed.

"We have to find the sword," Emily slammed her fist down on the table. "We have to find it and lock it away. That way, even if someone wants it, no one can get it."

"You need more sleep," Mike muttered, rolling his eyes and he saw Mia doing the same. Jayden and Kevin appeared to agree with Emily, however.

"She's got a point," Jayden nodded. "In the ocean anyone can find it."

"Yeah, anyone with a set of gills and mad swimming skills," Mike said. "And dude, Kevin's good, but I doubt he could swim down to the ocean floor and retrieve a sword without drowning."

"If a Nighlok gets his hands on Urumasa we're all done for," Jayden continued, ignoring Mike's comment. He heard Emily whimper softly when he announced their doomed fate so he jumped to his feet. "We need to get that sword before it falls into the wrong hands. I for one won't be able to sleep until it's guarded."

"We could send it to the Tengen Gate," Kevin suggested. "Serena's guarding the most valuable Samurai stuff already. One more sword wouldn't kill her."

"Mia, I think they've all lost it," Mike turned to the only teammate who was making sense to him and she nodded. She nestled into Kevin's arms, trying to make him feel safe.

"Kev, right now it's being guarded by sharks. Who's going to be stupid enough to go after it when there are hundreds or other swords lying around, free for the taking?"

"Is that supposed to make us feel safe?" Emily asked.

"It's just a sword. A very sharp sword, but a sword."

"And immortal sword," Jayden reminded Mia. "First thing in the morning, we're going to find it."

With a plan in mind, the three worried Rangers headed off to bed to try and get some sleep. Mia and Mike were left alone in the kitchen and they exchanged frustrated looks. They knew their friends had a right to worry. Urumasa had been dangerous when it had been with Dekker. But it was so far underwater that it no longer posed the same threat as before.

"Maybe Antonio can talk some sense into them," Mia suggested.

"Hopefully he's not as batty as they are," Mike nodded. "If he agrees with them, something tells me we're going deep-sea diving."

Mia bit her lip and turned to the doorway where her friends had all left.

"Even if it's three against three, I think those guys are still going to get their way," she said. She turned back to Mike, "I hope you like swimming."

"I hope a Nighlok attacks," Mike dropped his head on the table, "See Master X, this is what happens when you don't challenge us. We slowly begin to lose our minds."


	2. Nothing To Worry About

For the second time in two days, Emily found herself with her feet in the ocean. She stared out at the deep blue sea before turning to her friends who were sitting in the sand.

"How are we getting down there?" she asked.

"I'm trying to figure it out," Kevin muttered as he scribbled notes and drawings on a piece of paper.

"Rent a boat," Mike suggested. He hadn't changed his mind from the night before. His friends were being excessively paranoid. He didn't want to be out here in the hot sun, but there was only one way to calm Kevin, Jayden and Emily down: sword fishing. "Antonio's a great fisherman. I'm sure he'll catch the sword and yank it right out."

"I'm not that good," Antonio rolled his eyes. He couldn't help but agree with Mike and Mia on the Urumasa debate. By now the sword would have sunk so deep into the ocean that it wouldn't be discovered for centuries at best, especially if no one ever spoke about it. There was no way anyone was getting their hands on the sword, and no way it could swim back up and find its own way back into a warrior's hands. Still, that didn't calm Jayden, Kevin and Emily.

"Let them think you are," Mike shrugged.

"How long will they believe that when I never catch a sword?" Antonio frowned. "Not to mention the fact that I don't own a fishing rod that can sink all the way down to the bottom of the ocean to fetch a sword."

"Can the Megazords swim?" Kevin looked over his shoulder at the three Rangers behind him. Mike, Mia and Antonio all shrugged.

"I've never dunked my bear," Mike answered. "I'm not sure. Why?"

"If they could, we could have gone down in the Turtle and Octozord," Kevin said. "We could scan the ocean until we found it."

"Great. That means we'll only be at this for years," Antonio muttered. He pointed to the water, "You realise the Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth and covers about a third of the entire planet."

"Yeah," Kevin nodded. "But if we split up…"

"You're insane!" Antonio cried and fell back into the sand.

Mia got up and walked over to her fiancé. She sat down in front of him and cupped his cheeks in her hands. She looked him in the eyes and smiled softly.

"Urumasa's gone," she whispered gently. "I know it's scary. I know it's hard to believe, especially after everything Dekker put us through, but you have to understand that the sword can't find its way back. It won't come after us. You're safe. I'm safe, okay?"

"But I have a feeling…"

"I know," Mia nodded. "It's unsettling. But you have to push it aside. You have to learn to live with the thought that you and Urumasa are connected because of the water."

"What if it chooses me?" Kevin asked, a new fear forming thanks to Mia. She shook her head.

"You're a good Samurai," she chuckled, "but that's just it. You're _good_. Urumasa's not. You would never turn on your friends and you would never take a life."

"But…"

"That was a Nighlok," Mia quickly interrupted, knowing what Kevin was going to say. She let her hands fall onto his shoulders and smiled again, "Urumasa wouldn't ever want you to be its master. If, and that's a big if, but if it does come back, it won't hurt us, okay?"

"I don't like it down there," Kevin look out at the water. Mia moved forward so she was sitting on Kevin's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a comforting hug.

"As long as you have that little unsettled feeling, you'll know we're safe," she told him. "You'll know Urumasa's down there, untouched, and unable to hurt us. That unsettled feeling is actually a good thing. You just have to understand what it means."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kevin's lips. He was starting to understand what Mia was getting at. Though the unsettled feeling made him nervous, it was actually a bit of a comfort. As long as he felt unsettled, he knew the sword was still in the ocean, and as long as it was in the ocean he wouldn't have to worry about it coming back to hurt him or his friends. Suddenly, the unsettled feeling started to change. Instead of a cold feeling of dread and worry it turned into a warm feeling of comfort and safety. He wrapped his arms around Mia and smiled.

"If you're sure."

"I won't let it hurt any of us," Mia promised and nodded her head.

"I still wish I could actually keep an eye on it," Kevin muttered. Mia chuckled.

"Me too. But you'll just have to trust your gut, okay?" she leaned forward for a kiss, glad that Kevin had come to his senses, but she was quickly interrupted when Mike poked his head over Kevin's shoulder, breaking the two of them up.

"How did you do that?" he asked. "I was up most of the night last night trying to calm Emily down and you sit on his lap for five minutes and BAM! He's converted!"

Mia growled and shoved her little brother into the sand before giving Kevin a quick peck on the lips.

"Don't interrupt them," Antonio chuckled as he crawled up next to Mike and brushed the sand off his friend's back. "They don't seem to like it."

Mike crossed his arms and turned to Antonio, "Think maybe you can calm Jayden down? I mean, he did kick Dekker's ass twice now, and if it weren't for Serena and Emily he would have killed Dekker and defeated Urumasa twice. Even if the sword came back, I think Jayden stands a good chance at winning."

"I could try," Antonio shrugged, "but…"

"But?"

"Jayden doesn't worry about himself," Antonio said. "Even when we were kids, he was always worried about what happened to other people. He knows he can defeat Urumasa, no matter who is wielding the sword. I think what scares him is what could happen before he gets a chance to stop Urumasa."

"And by that you mean…?"

"Jayden wants Urumasa locked away before it has the chance to harm anyone. If that sword does wash up on shore and does nothing more than trip a kid so he lands face first in the sand, Jayden will feel like it was his fault. If Urumasa does come back, possess someone else, or even Dekker, and someone else pays the price…"

"Jayden won't be able to live with himself," Mike sighed. "I get it."

"My guess is that's why he wants the sword. He wants it out of harm's way and locked up so it can never hurt anyone again. Us especially."

"So let him know it won't!" Mike said. "We won't let it! It's not like we're going to watch the sword cut us limb from limb."

"I could try talking to him," Antonio shrugged. "But Jayden's stubborn. He might never feel comfortable with the thought of leaving Urumasa in the ocean."

"It's worth a shot, dude," Mike gave Antonio a pat on the shoulder. "If he's freaking out, we'll all end up freaking out."

"You get Emily, then," Antonio nodded. "I'll try to talk to Jayden."

Antonio and Mike split up and headed towards their best friend and girlfriend respectively. Antonio sat in the sand next to Jayden as the red Ranger stared out into the sea. Antonio knew Jayden the best, but he still didn't know his best friend well enough to understand the thoughts running through Jayden's mind. He was quiet and reserved, but if anyone could break through his shell, it was Antonio.

"You should have kill Dekker when you had the chance," Antonio shook his head.

"I don't regret letting him live," Jayden said, "Especially seeing as Serena jumped in the way. If I had stabbed him, it would have killed Serena, no doubt about it."

"I guess that's true," Antonio nodded slowly. "But you're probably kicking yourself for not taking Urumasa before Serena could get her hands on it. Or you're probably pissed at yourself for letting her throw it away. Now it's gone forever."

"It'll take forever to find," Jayden sighed. He turned to Antonio, "I know it's a fool's errand, but I just… it needs to be in our hands. If a Nighlok gets it…"

"We'll stop him," Antonio shrugged his shoulders and gave Jayden a look that told him the solution was an easy one. "We'll stop him just like we stopped Dekker."

Jayden glanced across the beach at his friends, "Well, hopefully the next Nighlok to get their hands on Urumasa is half-Nighlok, half-human female. We've run out of single girls."

"You know what I mean," Antonio smiled. He was happy to see Jayden was joking around. It meant he was starting to come around. He placed his hand on Jayden's shoulder, "Look, whenever a Nighlok comes into our world the Gap Sensor goes off. We've got a bunch around the beach. How about, instead of searching day and night for a sword we might never find again, we use our energy to stop the Nighlok. They can't hurt us with a sword if we defeat them before they get to the water."

"What if Dekker…"

"Isn't going to turn on us," Antonio assured the red Ranger. "Even when he was a monster, there was still a part of him that was human. I know it's hard to believe, but I do think he's changed for good. I think, right now, if Dekker had to choose, he would go to Serena over Urumasa."

"I guess."

"So, how about we head home, then? A little training, maybe you can help me and Mike with the Black Box, and we'll be the strongest Rangers before you know it. Nothing, not even a crazy bloodthirsty sword, can stop us."

Antonio stood up in the sand and offered his hand out to Jayden. The red Ranger smiled at his best friend and took it, letting Antonio help him up.

"The sword still worries me," he said. "I doubt we've seen the last of it."

"It's okay to be careful," Antonio said. "Just… don't freak out, okay? I know it's a heavy burden to carry, but we all look up to you. If you're worried, we're all going to worry."

"I'll try not to," Jayden nodded. Antonio smiled.

"Good. And if you do start to worry, you can tell me. I promise, no one else has to know. It's your burden, but that doesn't mean your best friend can't help you from time to time."

"Thanks, Antonio," Jayden gave his friend a quick hug before turning his back to the water and looking up at the beach. Mia and Kevin were sitting together in the sand. Kevin seemed a lot calmer now than he had been last time Jayden looked over at him. He had discarded his paper and pen in the sand and his focus was now on Mia.

Mike and Emily were a little ways off. Emily still seemed worried, but it looked like Mike was making good progress on easing her fears. Jayden smiled and started heading up the beach with Antonio.

Over with the yellow and green Rangers, Mike was wiping away Emily's tears. She was worried about Urumasa, understandably, but she was slowly coming around to the idea that Urumasa wasn't as big a problem as she was making it out to be. She just felt like she had so much to lose if things turned ugly. If the sword found Dekker again, her most feared enemy would be back with a score to settle. If Dekker could somehow resist the call of his sword, surely Urumasa would search for another master. Emily was terrified of the thought that it might choose Jayden, simply because he was already deemed a worthy opponent, and the jump from worthy opponent to worthy master wasn't too big.

She was also worried Urumasa would be nasty and it would choose her sister, just to spite Dekker and the Rangers. Mike, though, was working on convincing her otherwise.

He took her hands, squeezing them gently, "Emily, look at me," he instructed her when he saw her gaze slip back down to the sand. She shook her head, letting a tear hit the sand. Mike smiled and lowered his head slightly, finally catching her eye, "Hey, everything's going to be fine."

"You're just saying that…"

"Emily, I wouldn't lie to you," he told her. He shifted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to pull her into his lap. Emily, though, wouldn't budge, making his task a little more difficult. He decided just to hold her. "Okay, look, I'll admit, there is a chance Urumasa comes back. You have a right to worry, but please, don't let this bring you down. You're stronger than this. You're stronger than all of us."

"No…"

"Em, look at me," Mike smiled when she finally did as he asked. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, "Urumasa will never beat us. No matter who wields it, we're not going to let him cut us down. It's just a sword, and right now, it's totally helpless."

"I want it locked up, though."

"Me too," Mike nodded, "but we can't lock it up. The more you try, the more frustrated you'll get and the more you'll lose yourself. I don't want that to happen to you."

"What if it chooses Jayden? Or… what if it still wants to duel Jayden and it comes back as someone else? What if it's you?"

Mike could tell Emily was starting to scare herself again so he finally pulled her into his arms and wrapped her up.

"I trust you."

"What?" Emily looked up at him. He smiled down at her.

"I trust you'll save me. Urumasa couldn't control Dekker completely. Even with that crazy sword, he wouldn't hurt Serena. If it comes after me, I know you'll stop me from doing something I'll regret, just like she stopped him."

"Promise?"

"Do you?"

Emily nodded, "I promise."

"Good," Mike smiled. "Now, forget that stupid sword. It's not worth your time. What do you say we focus on something more important, huh?"

"Jayden's signalling for us to join him and the others," Emily gestured to the Rangers. Mike looked at the group and then back at Emily with a smirk. He took her hand as he got to his feet and pulled her up.

"On three," he whispered to her as they started making their way back, "we turn around and run."

"What?"

"One," Mike started his count and squeezed her hand. Emily smiled. "Two," Mike tugged on her hand gently, letting her know it was also time to turn. "Three!" he shouted and quickly ran the opposite way from the group, Emily right on his tail, laughing happily. He could hear the others calling after the two of them but they didn't stop running.

"Well," Mia smirked as she watched the two youngest Rangers bolt, "I guess we don't have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked. Mia gave him a smirk before taking off after the yellow and green Rangers.

"Come on, slowpokes!" she called to the boys, "We have to catch them!"


End file.
